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House Health and Welfare committee approves February minutes, introduces two RSs to move rules into statute
Summary
At its brief meeting, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee approved minutes from February 2024 and introduced RS 32-491 and RS 32-534, which would move existing agency rules into statute; both introductions passed by voice vote.
The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee convened at 9 a.m. and approved its February 2024 minutes, then introduced two legislative requests (RS 32-491 and RS 32-534) that would recodify existing Department of Health and Welfare rules into statute. Both RSs were introduced by voice vote.
The committee’s action matters because both RSs would shift agency rule text into statute without creating new law, a step sponsors said is intended to align rules with the governor’s directive on regulatory review and to avoid future rework. Representative Lucas Kaler, sponsor of RS 32-491, described the measure as “a slight adjustment to an RS that was run a couple of weeks ago” and said it “moves IDAPA rule 16.03.03 relating to child support services from rule to statute.”
Kaler told the committee that the revised RS removes a provision that had been included in an earlier draft. “Section 7 stated that the Department shall deduct legal costs incurred by the Department up to a maximum of 20 for any collection,” Kaler said, and he reported the agency informed him that that provision no longer applied and therefore had been removed from the current RS. Representative Levitt moved to introduce RS 32-491; the motion carried on a voice vote.
Representative Healy presented RS 32-534, which he described as a cleanup to avoid returning to the Legislature later for a provision related to monitoring in assisted living. “One of the sections that I overlooked in the last year … was allowing our the rulemaking authority in health and welfare,” Healy said. He said the current RS removes lines in the prior draft that would have brought that rulemaking authority into statute. Representative Ekberg moved to introduce RS 32-534; the motion carried on a voice vote.
The committee also noted that Representative Raymond Mossman, a fourth-generation farmer from Nez Perce who identified himself as precinct chairman for the Lewis County Republicans, was filling in for Representative McCann at the meeting. The chair said the committee’s agenda was light and that a previously scheduled bill hearing (House Bill 136) had been held at the sponsor’s request. The chair also said a separate RS introduced the previous day will be scheduled for a Monday hearing.
With no further business, the committee adjourned.
